In this book William Dever — who has spent more than thirty years conducting archaeological excavations in the Near East – addresses the question that must guide every good historian of ancient Israel: What was life really like in those days?

Dever presents his answers in a book that is far from a run-of-the-mill “history of Israel.” Writing as an expert archaeologist who is also a secular humanist, Dever relies on archaeological data, over and above the Hebrew Bible, for primary source material. He focuses on the lives of ordinary people in the eighth century B.C.E. — not kings, priests, or prophets — people who left behind rich troves of archaeological information but who are practically invisible in “typical” histories of ancient Israel. Illustrated by photos, maps, charts, site plans, and specially commissioned drawings, Dever’s work brings vividly to life a world long buried beneath dusty texts and stony landscapes.